HE’S been a No.3 draft selection and two years later he was traded for pick No.2, but exciting new Melbourne midfielder Dom Tyson says he doesn’t feel a weight of expectation.
The 20-year-old, who played 13 matches in a couple of injury riddled seasons with Greater Western Sydney, said he was ready to make his mark with the Demons back in his native state.
“You work hard and let your footy do the talking, so hopefully you get the opportunity to get in there and get your hands dirty, train hard and get super fit,” Tyson told melbournefc.com.au.
“You just worry about [what’s said] internally and not too much of the external pressure [that can] affect you.
“We’ve got some great coaches … and I’ll look to learn off some good trainers [at Melbourne] and get better as we go.”
Originally the third player claimed in the 2011 NAB AFL Draft, Tyson was recruited from Camberwell/Trinity Grammar/Oakleigh Chargers before heading north to GWS.
“I got in there under Sheeds (Kevin Sheedy) and Mark Williams and played round one in my first year. I played 10 games all up in my first year and I had a shin complaint, so I missed about 10 games there,” he said.
“Leading into pre-season, I was feeling fresh and fit and unfortunately got tackled one day, just before Christmas, so I had a ruptured PCL and MCL. That put me out for six months, so I was a bit underdone all year.
“I snuck back for three games by the end of the year, but I just felt a bit underdone, so I’m definitely excited by this pre-season and getting some run in the legs to keep going.”
Tyson said the fact that he was able to return home was an opportunity too good to refuse.
“It’s good to get back home and have your family and friends support you and just be around you. It felt right in coming back and I had two years at the Giants, where I had a couple of injuries and I couldn’t get my body going,” he said.
“I felt like it was the right time to get back and just have a real good crack at the footy and get into it.
“Sydney is a pretty good place and I wish the Giants all the luck – and they’ll be a good side – but it just felt right coming back home and coming to the Dees. It’s a proud club with a lot of great history and it’ll just be good to get started and get into training.”
Tyson already has a connection with the club, having played junior football with another young-gun ball-winner, Jack Viney, plus another new recruit, Viv Michie.
“I played a lot of footy with Jack [Viney] at the Oakleigh Chargers and at Vic Metro as well,” he said.
“Another recruit, Viv Michie, I played there with and the Casey Scorpions coach Rohan Welsh was my Vic Metro coach, so there’s a couple floating around.”
Although the trade period can be an uncertain time for many players, Tyson said it hadn’t been that bad in his situation.
“You’ve got management to deal with most of it, so it was actually this time last week, when I was sitting in Hawaii on Waikiki Beach and my manager just gave me a call and said ‘there could be a few things to heat up when you get back’.”
“It all happened pretty quick, so I’m rapt with the move and pretty excited, so I’m looking forward to it.
“I’m feeling fresh. I’m really good and I’ve had a month of training during this off-season and I’m feeling excited about the prospect of having a full pre-season for the first time.”
